Iran may pull out of this summer’s ‘inappropriate’ World Cup in America after the ‘vicious’ US and Israeli bombardments on their nation, the Iranian football federation’s president has said.
The Islamic Republic’s national team have been drawn in Group G of the tournament alongside New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt, but the prospect of their participation is growing increasingly uncertain.
Following the death of their Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran have been launching widespread retaliatory attacks across the Middle East largely targeting US and Israel military bases.
And Mehdi Taj, who leads Iran’s football federation, has told Iranian media over the last 24 hours that the country’s participation in the tournament is a doubt.
‘It’s not possible to say exactly, but there will certainly be a response,’ he said on IRIB Channel 3. ‘This will be studied by the country’s high-ranking sports officials and there will be a decision on what’s going to happen.
‘But what we can say now is that due to this attack and its viciousness, it is far from our expectations that we can look at the World Cup with hope.’
He added that it would be ‘inappropriate’ for Iran to compete under the current circumstances.
With just 101 days until the tournament kicks off across the US, Canada and Mexico, questions are continuing to grow for FIFA surrounding their plan should Iran pull out.
At present, FIFA’s only public comment about the war in the Middle East has come from their general secretary Mattias Grafstrom.
‘I read the news (about Iran) this morning the same way you did,’ Grafstrom said on Saturday at the International Football Association Board’s AGM in Cardiff.
‘We had a meeting today and it is premature to comment in detail, but we will monitor developments around all issues around the world.
‘We had the finals draw in Washington in which all teams participated, and our focus is on a safe World Cup with all the teams participating.
‘We will continue to communicate as we always do with three (host) governments as we always do in any case. Everybody will be safe.’
Should Iran play in the tournament, their matches against New Zealand and Belgium will be held in Los Angeles, while their clash against Egypt is set to be hosted in Seattle.
US President Donald Trump told the Daily Mail that he expects the conflict to last ‘four weeks or less’ in an exclusive interview on Sunday, giving the nation just over two months to prepare.
Should they pull out, however, FIFA will have to quickly introduce a replacement.
According to their own regulations, this would be a ‘nominated alternate, often the direct runner-up from the relevant qualifying playoff or highest-ranked non-qualified team from that confederation’.
Iraq would be the frontrunners should they fail to qualify through this month’s Inter-Continental play-off final against either Bolivia or Suriname.
However, if Iraq win and qualify automatically, the nation most likely to replace Iran would be the United Arab Emirates, who lost their confederation play-off to Iraq last year.
Iran’s preparations for the tournament will also be affected with no matches – including friendlies – to be played during the 40-day mourning period for the death of Supreme Leader.
Adding further complications, fans from the nation were already banned from entering the US in the first iteration of a huge travel ban announced by the Trump administration last year.
Only coaches and players from the team were set to be granted visa exemptions to enter the country and compete in the tournament, prompting Iran to threaten to boycott the World Cup draw.
Potential off-field problems at the tournament are continuing to stoke fears, with alarm raised over cartel violence gripping Mexico and the chaos surrounding ICE agents in the US.
Trump, however, has been front and centre of the build-up to the World Cup – from being awarded FIFA’s Peace Prize by Gianni Infantino to having photo ops in the White House with the trophy.
Speaking at the tournament’s draw in December, Trump said: ‘Gianni has done an incredible job. It is a nice tribute to you and the game of football, or as we call it soccer. It is beyond the numbers we thought were possible.
‘The world is a safer place now. The USA was not doing well a year ago; now we are the hottest country in the world right now.’
Trump has also set up a White House World Cup taskforce, the leader of which Andrew Giuliani posted over the weekend that the strikes on Iran are making ‘the world a safe place’.
‘We’ll deal with soccer games tomorrow,’ Giuliani said. ‘Tonight we celebrate (the Iranian people’s) opportunity for freedom.’
The most recent nation to be banned from competing in a World Cup were Russia in 2022 due to their invasion of Ukraine, but Infantino has recently suggested lifting such measures.
Despite the war still raging on, Infantino claimed the ban ‘has not achieved anything’ and ‘has just created more frustration and hatred’.
He added: ‘Having girls and boys from Russia being able to play football games in other parts of Europe would help.’
Responding, Ukraine sports minister Matvii Bidnyi branded Infantino ‘irresponsible’ and ‘infantile’.
‘They detach football from the reality in which children are being killed,’ he added.
